With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Confused About Curfew? One Of Those Messages Was Meant For Glendale
Conflicting curfew notifications were sent to L.A. County residents on Monday, June 1, 2020. The one on top was meant only for Glendale residents. (Jacob Margolis/LAist)
At about 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Los Angeles County lit up phones with another Wireless Emergency Alert notifying residents that a curfew would be in place from 6 p.m. Monday night until 6 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Two minutes later, phones across L.A. County blared again, this time with the message, "Curfew now 5pm-6am."
Confusion and frustration reigned as people tried to figure out what was going on.
They just changed the LA curfew to 5pm from 6 @MayorOfLA @ericgarcetti what the fuck are you doing. What a mess.
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) June 1, 2020
Sponsored message
Why was the curfew seemingly moved up by an hour in just two minutes? It was a mistake.
The initial message came from the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. The second one did not.
"It was definitely a surprise. It was not something that was planned," said Helen Chavez, associate director for the L.A. County OEM.
Chavez said the message came from the city of Glendale, which was trying to communicate a 5 p.m. curfew — that only applies to Glendale.
"The intent was to send it to those within Glendale's boundaries," said Eliza Papazian, public information officer for the city of Glendale. "At this moment we're working with the platform that we use to send these notifications to perform an analysis and determine what occurred exactly."
That platform is Everbridge, the same company the city of L.A. uses to distribute its Wireless Emergency Alerts. The system notifies residents of natural disasters such as wildfires, earthquakes, and mudslides.
When asked why L.A. County didn't send out another alert to clarify the mistake, Chavez said they were trying to avoid "WEA fatigue." Because the curfews were so close to one another, they instead reached out via the media to clarify.
Sponsored message
Cities with earlier curfews include:
- Beverly Hills — 1 p.m.
- Long Beach business district — 1 p.m.
- Santa Monica — 1:30 p.m.
- Long Beach — 4 p.m.
- Culver City, 4 p.m.
- West Hollywood — 4 p.m.
- Glendale — 5 p.m.
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
At LAist, we focus on what matters to our community: clear, fair, and transparent reporting that helps you make decisions with confidence and keeps powerful institutions accountable.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
